title: Electrophysiological mapping and radiofrequency catheter ablation for ventricular tachycardia in a patient with peripartum cardiomyopathy.
abstract: A 38-year-old female with prior failed endocardial ablation for ventricular tachycardia (VT) was referred for further treatment. She had been diagnosed with peripartum cardiomyopathy 7 years before and had persistent left ventricular dysfunction with an ejection fraction of 20%. Epicardial voltage mapping showed extensive epicardial scar despite absence of endocardial scar. Five distinct VT morphologies were induced. Ablation was aided by electrogram characteristics, pace mapping, entrainment mapping, and establishing electrical inexcitability along areas of epicardial scar. After epicardial ablation no sustained VT was induced. She had been doing well without VT occurrence but died 1 year later unexpectedly at home.
authors.affiliation: Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Michifumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tokuda
authors.forename: William G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Stevenson
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nagashima
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Rubin
mesh_terms: D002304:Cardiac Pacing, Artificial; D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D017115:Catheter Ablation; D022062:Electrophysiologic Techniques, Cardiac; D056149:Epicardial Mapping; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology; D058725:Peripartum Period; D011247:Pregnancy; D017180:Tachycardia, Ventricular / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: catheter ablation; electrophysiological mapping; nonischemic cardiomyopathy; peripartum cardiomyopathy; ventricular tachycardia